Written by: Stuart Chirls, Senior Editor The Port of Los Angeles and GE Transportation are expanding a digital supply chain pilot program to include all container terminals and shipping lines at the port. The partners have come to new commercial agreements worth up to nearly $12 million and extended their relationship for at least five years. The agreements are subject to review by the Los Angeles City Council, and will support approximately 9 million TEUs, more than 15,000 truck providers and thousands of cargo importers. “With our container volumes at record highs, the GE digital shipping solution is critical to our future success,” said Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles. “The GE portal is an investment in the long-term growth of the Port of Los Angeles and tells our stakeholders and customers that we take seriously our responsibility to find new ways to drive efficiencies and optimization.” Based on the initial year-long pilot results, the port efficiency gains of between 8-12% as the enhanced program is rolled out port-wide. “A trucking dispatcher may visit up to 40 websites a day just to coordinate cargo movement into the port complex,” said Weston LaBar, executive director of the Harbor Trucking Association. “Having a single portal, a single reference point, will create new levels of efficiency that we’ve been seeking for a long time.” “The initial results of the pilot are resonating with partners and providing an opportunity for us to collaborate on expanding the work. It’s a major step toward exploring how a system like this could be developed and implemented for other ports in the U.S. and abroad,” said Jamie Miller, president and CEO at GE Transportation. “This is a game changing effort for business, the economy, investors and consumers.” Continue reading...
